Love, Pain, Greeks and Egyptians
by Zia Jackson
Summary: Annabeth is dead. Percy is broken-hearted. To divert his mind, his friends decide to send him to a place where Greeks don't usually go:Brooklyn. Read how he stumbles upon a specific group of magicians and falls for one of them. A little sad and a little touchy, but you should give it a go.
1. Gone

Percy pov

Pain,pain and more pain. There is nothing else in my life. Physical pain and mental pain, both. Mental pain when I saw my mom being vaporized at 12, physical pain while carrying the sky at 14, pain being shot out of a volcano and pain while taking a swin in the River Styx and...well, you get the idea.

After facing so much , you must think I'm used it. That I can face anything. If you do think so, you're dead wrong.

One bite. That's all it took for that damn hellhound to take away my life. Everything went still. I stood there, blinking, not wanting to believe this was real. I wanted to wake up in bed and find out that this was all a bad dream. But no. It was real. She was gone. The reason I live was gone. Taken away by an oversized dog of the dead.

My shock was replaced by anger.I let out a loud shout of fury and attacked that hellhound. After that , everything was a blur. I didn't remember us killing all the giants, or us defeating Gaia and winning the war. All I knew was that Annabeth was dead, and I was betraying her if I lived without her. Everyone congratulated me, but I tuned it out. After the war, my anger was replaced my emptiness. I was nothing without her. Jason, Leo, Piper, Frank, Hazel, Nico, and even Reyna cried for her. But I didn't cry. I just stood there and stared at nothingness.

When the gods called us to give the rewards, I was angry again. It was their fault. All their fault.

"Perseus Jackson." My father called out. I stiffly walked up to them.

"You have done us a great favor, not once but twice. You are to be rewarded." My father said. Was he blind? Didn't he see that I didn't care about their stupid reward?

"Yes. My brother is right. Percy Jackson, ask for anything. You'll have it." Zeus said. I was too dazed and angry to notice that Zeus sounded kinder than usual.

"Can you bring her back?" I whispered, my hands shaking.

"What?" Zeus asked.

"Can you bring Annabeth back?" I shouted,not to Zeus, but to all the Olympians.

"No, my dear boy. I'm afraid we can't do that. It's against the acient rules." Zeus said.

"Okay then, I have another request." I said.

"Yes?" My father prompted me.

"Kill me." I said.

"Percy, no. That will not be granted." My father said sternly.

"Why not? You wanted to kill me a few years ago. What now? I'm sure many of you want to kill me. Cmon! Hades? Zeus? Ares? Athena? Dionysus? You all wanted to get rid of me. Why not now? Kill me, please!" I said. I noticed everything was suddenly very quiet. I looked up and noticed that many of the gods had tears in their eyes. Aphrodite had almost fainted. Even Hades and Dionysus looked on the verge of tears. Ares looked down, shame in his fiery eyes.

"Perseus, please be reasonable." Athena spoke up.

"Oh! Now I get it. Years ago I didn't want to die but you wanted to kill me. Now it's the opposite. You just want to torture me. Well, it worked. You, Athena. You hated because I liked Annabeth. But now you have nothing against me, right? Now send me away, please." I said. I thought this should piss them off. I thought Zeus would zap me any minute. But he just snapped his fingers and I realized I wasn't on Olympus anymore. I was on a cliff at a beach. I stood there, staring at the waves.

I wanted Annabeth to push me off the cliff and laugh and tell me that I was a seaweed brain. But that would never happen. I looked down at the waves. I willed the water not to save me. I didn't need their help for anything. I could do it myself.

I was about to jump when someone pulled me back.


	2. A dangerous promise

Nobody's pov

"Oh no, you don't." Nico pulled him back.

"Nico, what are doing here? I thought you were on Olympus." Percy said, completely taken by surprise.

"I knew you would try something so I asked them to send me here." Nico said.

"What? I'm not trying anything. It's not like the water will kill me." Percy reasoned.

"I know you Percy. If you can order the the water to save you, you can order it to kill you. Besides, I'm the son of death. I know when someone's jumping into it." Nico said.

"What do you care? I thought you hated me?" Percy shouted.

"Whatever gave you that idea, Percy?" Nico asked.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because you wouldn't even look at me directly and because you acted like I gave you an electric shock every time I touch you. You still blame me for Bianca, I know you do." Percy's voice lowered at the last sentence.

"Percy, I edge away from everyone, not just you. I don't even talk to Hazel properly.

It's not because of you, it's because me. I'm not a people person. I thought you knew that by now. Bianca died a hero. I understand that now. And I do care about you Percy. I've always cared. You're the reason I'm alive. You're family, Percy. Now come here." At the last part, Nico pulled Percy towards him and shadow travelled back to Percy's house.

"Sally and Paul have gone to 's house. He needs them." Nico said as they reached the house. In Percy's home, Jason, Piper, Leo, Frank, Hazel and Calypso were waiting for them.

"You bought him back!" Hazel sighed in relief.

"Got there just in time." Nico said, as his sister first hugged him, then tackled Percy.

"What were you thinking?" Piper scolded.

"I wasn't." Percy admitted, and Piper realized she'd used charmspeak.

"We need to get some things straight." Jason spoke up.

"What things?" Percy asked

"Percy, repeat after me." Piper used a lot of charmspeak when she said that.

"What? But...okay." Percy looked as if in a trance. Good, it's working, Piper thought.

"I will never try to take away my life ever again." Piper spoke and Percy unwillingly repeated. "I swear on the River Styx, on my friend's life." Piper said. Percy fought the charmspeak but eventually ended up repeating after her.

Thunder boomed in a distance.

"What was that last part about?" Percy asked.

"Percy, what happens when you break a promise that you swear on the Styx?" Piper asked.

"You die." Percy replied flatly.

"Exactly, so now that we've made you promise not to try and kill yourself, if you even break the oath, you'll die. So either way you get killed. This last line can change that." Nico said.

"Change that how?" Percy asked.

"When you swear on the river Styx on someone else's life, they die when you try to break the oath. So now that you swore on your friends's life..." Nico faltered.

"No!" Percy shouted. "No! How could you?" He cried.

"It was the only way you'd listen. I'm sorry Percy, but we had to." Frank said.

Percy scowled at them, then ran up to his room. Everyone sighed sadly as they sat down.

Calypso felt terrible for having cursed Annabeth. Now she had Leo, but Percy was alone. She snuggled next to Leo and let the tears fall freely.

Sally and Paul returned shortly. Everyone stood up to greet them. Sally's eyes were puffed and red from crying. Paul was holding her as they walked in.

"He's broken, but he's managing." Paul's voice croaked as he spoke. Everyone felt bad for Dr. Chase. How hard it must be for him.

"Where's Percy?" Sally's eyes searched the room.

"He ran up to his room." Leo said.

"Did he try to do anything to himself?" Her voice shook with grief and worry.

"Yeah, but we made him swear not to do anything like that ever again." Piper said.

"I need to talk to him." Sally ran upstairs, only to be followed by everyone else.

They were walking towards his room when suddenly Sally stopped in her tracks.

Just outside his bedroom door, Percy lay on the floor, unconscious .


	3. Everyone cares about Percy

Nobody's pov

"O my god! What's wrong with him? Why isn't he waking up?" Sally Jackson panicked as she slapped his face in a desperate attempt to wake him up.

"Sally, calm down. We'll have to take him to the hospital." Paul directed the last part towards everyone else there.

With the help of Frank and Jason, Paul managed to haul Percy to his car (this kid sure was heavy). While Leo and Nico climbed in with the boys, the girls and Sally piled in Percy's new Ford, which made Sally cry even louder as she remembered that Percy wanted to surprise Annabeth with it after the war.

Everyone were waiting in the hospital. The had crowded the waiting area. What could they do? They didn't want to leave Percy. They were either looking at the doctor's room, or the at the clock or had their eyes closed, because they didn't notice another person approaching.

"Is he alright?" Thalia asked, making everyone in the room jump.

"Thalia!" Jason hugged his big sister.

'What are you doing here?" Piper asked.

"I came here as soon as I heard about Percy." Thalia replied.

That's when everyone realized two things. One:Thalia was not with the hunters.

Two:Her eyes were red, probably from crying.

"You didn't answer my question. Is he alright?" Thalia asked again.

"Yes, he's alright. The doctor is checking him up." Hazel replied.

Thalia walked to the waiting chairs and sat down on the floor next to them, and closed her eyes. Tears began to flow down her cheeks. Jason and Piper came and knelt down next to her.

"Thalia, are you okay?" Piper asked sympathetically.

"No, I'm not. First I lost Luke, and then Annabeth! And then this happens to Percy. What am I going to do." Thalia put her head in her hands and cried. Piper gave Jason a ' I've got this ' look. He went back to his seat while Piper said soothing words to Thalia, using charmspeak. Eventually Thalia calmed down and Piper was back in her seat too. Then Leo asked a question everyone were curious about.

"Where are the rest of the hunters? I thought you were always supposed to be with them." He said.

"Um...well..Artemis gave me some time off so that I could see Percy." Thalia replied. Many eyebrows raised because of her hesitation.

"Okay, fine. Actually, Artemis wanted someone to check on Percy, and because I was more than willing to go, she sent me." Thalia said.

"Why does Artemis want to check on Percy?" Nico asked.

"Because she cares about him, Death Breath." Thalia answered. Half the room went into coughing fits, especially the guys.

"Artemis "cough" cares about "cough" "cough" Percy?" Frank asked.

"Well, it's not that surprising." Thalia said, which made the coughing become louder.

A nurse had to come and ask them to keep quiet.

"Okay, maybe it is a little surprising. But she believes that Percy is the only decent man on this planet. Well, she's not wrong. No offense to the other men here, but it's true. He is quite pure." Thalia said. Everyone nodded.

Just then, the doctor came out. Everyone rushed over to him, showering him with questions.

"Yes, yes. He's okay." He replied, waving them back. Once they'd all calmed down, he continued to speak. "Actually there is nothing wrong with him. He is physically perfect in health. Of course, he's got a few wounds, but I don't think that's the problem. I think it's more of a mental trauma. You should have him see a psychiatrist. Right now, take him home and give him rest. I'll recommend a few good psychiatrists." He said.

Sally and Paul took down the names and addresses of a few good psychiatrists, then left. They made Sally travelled in the Prius, while Leo shifted into the Ford.

Everyone knew very well what Percy's mental trauma was. And they had to do something about it. They couldn't let him live like that forever. After what Thalia said, even Artemis cared about Percy.

Well, who wouldn't ?


	4. AN

**sorry that my chapters are short and I'm not updating daily. But I'm a really busy person. I'll try to update longer chapters.**


	5. To Brooklyn it is

**soooooo sorry for not updating. I had exams.**

Nobody's pov( not the Polyphemus nobody)

"I just don't know what to do. We've took him to many psychiatrists, but there's no change. He keeps fainting and having fits." Sally cried in Paul's arms.

"This is not going to work." Frank said. No doctor could make Percy forget Annabeth.

"Poor Percy. This must be so hard on him." Travis said.

"Hard? Dude, that's a major understatement." Conner said. For once, they weren't smiling.

"We have to send him away for a few days. Make him forget the war." Chiron suggested. He had to come to Percy's house along with Drew and the Stolls. Drew had come to check on Percy for Aphrodite. Aphrodite tried to ask Piper about it, but Piper wouldn't talk to her. She blamed Aphrodite for this, as she had once promised to make Percy's love life interesting. Thalia had gone back to the hunters after promising to return after a few days.

"That's a good idea Chiron. We have to take him somewhere where there are less monsters." Jason said.

"Brooklyn." Drew said.

"What?" The demigods asked.

"He could go to Brooklyn. There are no monsters there." Drew said.

"No monsters?" Everyone looked shocked.

"Yep. Why else do you think I live there? There's some kind of force there that keeps the beasties away. Percy can come to my school. It will be a change for him. Though my schoolmates are a pain, but I think he'll manage that." Drew said.

Everyone considered this. Whoever Drew found a pain were actually good people. Also, Percy needed a change." Okay. I think Drew's right. We'll move there." Paul said. Sally looked at him gratefully. He was ready to move to Brooklyn for Percy.

"But someone has to be with him at school to take care of him." Sally said.

"I'm there." Drew said sweetly. Alarm bells rang in everyone's head. What if Drew tried to hit on Percy. She'd always thought he was 'hot'. He wouldn't be able to handle that.

"I can go." The seven, Calypso, and the Stolls said at once, then stared at each other.

"No. You all have faced quite a lot. I think even you deserve a rest." Chiron said. They all started to protest.

"I'm free. I can go." A voice made them all jump. Nico emerged from the shadows.

"Sheesh, Nico. Way to scare a guy." Leo said. Nico rolled his eyes at the son of Hephaestus.

" I said I could go with him. I don't have anything to do anyway." He said.

"Well, sure. But we need to ask Percy first." Sally said.

"I'll ask him." Nico said and ran upstairs to Percy's room. He knocked on his door.

"Come in." Called a hoarse voice. Nico opened the door and entered. Percy was in bed. He was fully dressed.

Percy looked a lot worse than he was when Nico left. He looked extremely weak. His dark circles were even bigger than Nico's. But still Nico found him the most handsome guy ever.

"Did you see her?" Percy's voice was full of hope. Nico's eyes started to water.

"Yeah." His voice cracked as he replied.

"What did she say?" Percy started to sit up. He paled and turned a slight shade of green doing so.

"Don't." Nico pushed him back.

"You didn't answer me Nico. Tell me now. What did she say?" Percy pleaded.

"She's in Elysium. She won't go for rebirth. She said she'll wait for you.

And ...and she...she hopes that..that she has to wait for a really long time." Nico tried to hide his tears as he saw the older demigod's face contort in pain.

"I hope she doesn't have to wait long. I hope she doesn't have to wait at all." Percy stared at the ceiling as he spoke. His head started to hurt again, and his vision started to blur, but he couldn't afford to lose control right now. Not now.

"Percy, your parents have decided to move." Nico decided to change the subject before Percy started getting fits again.

"What?" Percy asked. Nico told Percy about the discussion downstairs.

"Like that'll change anything. I'm not going to forgot anything. It's useless, you hear me? Useless." Percy said.

"I know. But you have to go. For Sally's sake. She can't stand this either. She's breaking down, Percy. For her." Nico knew that would do the trick. Percy nodded.

"Ok. Just for her sake. But you don't have to be my bodyguard everywhere I go. I can take care of myself." Percy said.

Sure you can, Nico thought sarcastically. "Not a bodyguard. More like a shadower, really." Only later did Nico realize how bad that pun was. But it worked. Percy cracked half a smile. It was very less compared to his crooked grin, but it was still a lot . He had never smiled since the war.

"Alright, . Go tell my family I'm ready." Percy said, clapping Nico on the back. Nico gave Percy a small smile before running downstairs.

"He has agreed to go." Nico informed . Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"And he agreed to take you with him?" Drew asked.

"Yes." Nico replied. Drew looked disappointed.

"Nico, I need to have a word with you." Jason pointed towards the door. Then he got up and left. Nico, followed him, very well aware of the questioning looks they were getting.

"What is it?" Nico asked once they were out of earshot.

"You know what."

"No. I don't." Nico said flatly.

"I thought being with him was painful for you. Then why? Why are you so eager to go?" Jason asked.

"If you think I'm going because this is a chance for me, then you're wrong. Percy deserves much more. He can't be stuck with a guy like me." Nico said.

"That's not what meant." Jason said.

"It's not painful anymore , Jason. At least, being with him isn't. Seeing him in pain, well, none of us can bear that. I've accepted him as a brother and a friend. And I know he can never be more than that." Nico said.

"If you say so." Jason shrugged.

"Well, we better start packing." Nico said. They both went back inside.

Brooklyn, beware.


	6. The Hot and Troubled New Guy

**thanks for supporting my story. Right now, Sadie is seventeen and Carter is eighteen and it's been four years since the war with Apophis. Percy is also seventeen.**

**To divergentlover5: demigods. Of course, demigods.**

Sadie pov (surprise!)

I woke up with Carter banging at my door. "Sadie! You're late for school." He shouted. I sighed. It was a big mistake asking Carter to go to school with us. Now he became a bloody problem.

"Coming. Coming. Don't break the door down." I said. And yes, I wasn't kidding. Carter can go all Chicken-man on me and break the door in no time. It wasn't fair how I didn't get an avatar like that. I got ready and ran downstairs.

Many people greeted me while going down to breakfast. After the Great War with Apophis four years ago, we've got many new recruits. It's been a little busy around here.

During breakfast, I saw Walt and Jaz looking at each other lovingly. I smiled at them. Through my peripheral vision, I saw Carter looking at me sadly. I sighed. Seriously, I wasn't bitter. Or sad. Neither did I have any negative feelings about their relationship.

It was my fault, after all. I had always fallen for the looks. I never tried to see through the handsome faces. It happened the same with Walt and Anubis. I fell for them without trying to know them better. Turns out both of them are way different from me. Also turns out Walt/Anubis shared a few interests with Jaz.

This break up of ours happened three years ago, and Walt/Anubis and I are good friends now. Still, Carter has been overprotective of me since then. But really, he doesn't have to be. I've learnt my lesson.

From then on, I've always tried to know them better rather than falling for their 'hot' looks. But nobody was really my type. Now I'm a lonely soul. O well, guess I should enjoy my solitude while I can.

The sound of footsteps snapped me out of my thoughts. I saw Zia Rashid running down the stairs hurriedly. She kissed Carter before taking her seat. I tried not to be upset about this.

I mean, Carter and Zia's relationship just puts a big hole in my 'don't fall for looks" theory. These two had totally fallen for looks. But it turned out that they were a perfect couple. Meant for each other. Ok, now don't get me wrong. I'm happy for Carter. It's just...why me?

We all soon piled into Bast's car as she drove us to BAG (Brooklyn Academy for the Gifted, in case you don't know).

Me and Carter were just walking towards our lockers when I bumped into someone.

We both fell to the ground with a thud.

"Ow!" The guy I bumped into yelled. A pale kid wearing completely black came running up to us.

"Percy, are you okay?" He asked him.

"Yeah." The other guy, Percy, replied.

Carter helped me up while the goth kid helped Percy. He stood up, and that's when I got a good look at his face. My breath got stuck in my throat.

He was sooooooooooo hot. He had wind blown black hair and gorgeous green eyes. He had a lean and tanned figure. His eyes showed a million emotions at once. His face was kind, yet sad. He was just so handsome.

Woah, Sadie. Hold you horses. Don't go for the looks. Control yourself. I kept telling myself. But it was kinda difficult considering this guy was better looking than Walt and Anubis combined!

"Sorry." Percy said. It took me a while to realize he was talking to me.

"It's...it's okay. Perfectly awso...I mean okay. Perfectly okay." I tried to say without drooling. I saw Carter eyeing me warily.

"You're not hurt, right?" He asked. Oh! The concern in his voice was just so sweet.

"Not a bit." I replied.

"I'm Percy Jackson." He put his hand forward. I tried not yo stare at it stupidly as I shook it.

"I'm Sadie Kane. This is Carter, my brother." I pointed at him. Carter smiled and waved at Percy. Percy half-smiled. They didn't look surprised at the fact that Carter and I were siblings.

"This is Nico, my cousin." Percy nodded towards the goth kid. What? His cousin? This two looked nothing alike. But then again, Carter and I are totally different too.

"Nice to meet you." Nico said.

"You two are new around here, I guess." Carter said.

"Yeah." Percy said.

"We could show you around." I suggested. Nico's eyes widened at this.

"Sure. We'd love that." He said. He looked a little too eager. I wonder why.

"Yes. That'd be great." Percy said. All my suspicions melted at the sound of his voice.

We were just showing them the lockers when my least favorite person appeared.

"Percy! There you are. I've been looking all over for you." Drew said. O great! They were friends of Drew. This was just great. (Sarcasm)

"What do you want Drew?" Percy asked. He sounded tired.

"What do I want? Percy, I thought I was going to show you around." Drew said with fake sweetness.

"Well, these two have volunteered to show us around. So no thanks." Percy said.

"But..." Drew started to say.

"You heard the guy. We'll see you later." Nico said. Drew huffed angrily and left.

Nico breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness. We got rid of her." Nico said.

"Not for long. She's in my class." Percy said. Okay, so these two weren't exactly fond of her. I wonder how they knew her then.

Percy turned to look at me, and his expression turned slightly amused as he studied me.

"Purple high-lights. Just like Thalia's blue ones. And you even dress a bit like her." He said. I had no idea who this Thalia was. Not the slightest. Nico turned to examine me too.

"Yeah. But Thalia's clothes are more punk style. And her hair are jet black." Nico said.

"Yeah. Your hair are caramel." Percy told me. If he wasn't so cute, I would've told him I already knew that.

"It's a sort of blonde and brunette mixture." Carter grinned.

"Blonde." Percy suddenly stiffened and spoke as if in a trance.

"Oh no. Not now." Nico muttered. He looked terrified.

"She had blond hair. Blond curly hair. Like a princess's." He said this to no one, looking at nothing. His had started breathing fast. Then he screamed( in a manly way) and clutched his head in pain. He screamed again.

"Percy! Percy! O my gods, this is bad! Percy!" Nico was having a panic attack.

Percy dropped to his knees. He screamed again. A lot of people had gathered around us. I heard a lot of whispering, but it was all in the background.

"No! Annabeth!" Percy yelled, his eyes now closed. I didn't understand what was happening, but I couldn't stand to see him like this.

"Is he okay?" Carter asked. Nico was too distracted to answer.

"Percy, calm down. It's going to be okay. It's alright. Just stay calm...you can do it." Nico knelt next to Percy and kept saying soothing words to him.

"No! Save her!" He yelled again.

"Ok. Ok. Just calm down." Nico continued.

"Save her." This time Percy's voice had lowered.

"Yes. Ok." Nico said.

"Save her." Percy whispered before he slumped against Nico's shoulder, unconscious .

"We have to take him to the infirmary." Nico said. Carter rushed toward to help. Percy's one hand was wrapped around Nico's shoulder and the other was wrapped around Carter's. I told the other kids to scram as we dragged Percy to the infirmary.

After the nurse assured us she would take care of him, we all came outside the infirmary.

"What was that?" I asked Nico.

"Yeah. What was she saying about saving someone? And who is Annabeth?" Carter asked

Nico sighed."I wasn't supposed to tell anyone. But since you guys helped me and since you don't exactly look like the gossiping type, I'll tell you." He said.

I crossed my arms across my chest in a 'I'm waiting' gesture.

Nico took a deep breathe in before speaking. "Annabeth was Percy's girlfriend. And I don't mean the once in a week kind of girlfriend. I mean a once in a lifetime kind of girlfriend. They both simply loved each other. They would take a knife for each other." He paused.

"And..." I prompted him.

"Just two months ago, Percy and Annabeth went on a private helicopter ride. It crashed and Annabeth...Annabeth died. Percy has been in shock since then. Anything that reminds him of Annabeth makes him go into fits like this. No one can cure him." Nico said.

I didn't what to say. I mean, I knew love was powerful, but this strong? I had no idea. Percy seemed like a very loyal and caring guy. I felt sad for him.

"You two better get to class." Nico told us.

"Are you sure? Will you manage?" Carter asked.

"Yes. I'll manage." Nico said. Me and Carter started walking to class.

"That was...," Carter seemed at a loss of words.

"Sad. That was sad." I said. I really didn't want to go to class after this. But I guess I had to. All I could think about was the troubled guy, Percy Jackson.


	7. I hate newspapers

**I know this chapter is kinda unnecessary. But I wanted to do a Nico pov. Anyway, I'm disappointed with the amounts of reviews I'm getting. I mean, please please please review. It would really help. Read this chapter and review!**

Nico pov

Stupid. Stupid. I was totally stupid. I was completely stupid. I was supposed to prevent this from happening. But instead, I just stood there like 'Hey, let's talk about blond hair and watch Percy get tortured. More.' I felt like drowning myself. And I had a feeling Poseidon would be glad to assist me with that.

I wanted to see what was going on inside. I knocked on the infirmary door, then opened it slightly and peeped in.

"Can I come in?" I asked the nurse.

"Yes dear. Please do." She replied. I entered.

I saw Percy lying on the bed, his eyes closed. Dry tears glistened on his face. His breathing was normal, and I could tell he was asleep. Still, I did not have the guts to face him. I wanted to run away and hide. But I got the courage to walk up closer to him.

The nurse beckoned me towards her.

"Yes ma'am?" I asked her.

"Do you what is wrong with this young man?" She asked me.

"Yes." I replied.

"He's been acting really strange. Sometimes he screams, sometimes he cries, and he keeps yelling a name. Now what was that...Elizabeth?" The nurse said.

"Annabeth." I corrected her.

"Oh yes. That's right. So, can you tell me why he's acting like this?" She asked me.

O Hades. This was not good. We were supposed to hide this from everyone. I hoped we could at least manage this till the end of this month. But no. It's only the first day and already two students know about this. And now the nurse. And I'm pretty sure this is going to spread like wildfire.

Everyone would look at Percy like he was some sad Romeo, unable to live without his beloved. They would show him pity, something I knew he didn't want. He didn't want Annabeth's death turn into some sad love story for girls worthy of Aphrodite. But now this is just what will happen.

I readied myself to tell the nurse our fake helicopter story, when her mouth suddenly opened wide in surprise.

"Wait a minute...I know this boy. I saw him in the newspapers a few weeks ago. Isn't he the one who lost his girlfriend in an accident?" She asked.

Newspapers ? This came in the papers? Just great. Now we don't even need idiots like me to spread this news. It already came in the newspapers. It's a good thing teens don't read the news except for the celeb section.

"Yes. He's the one." I said.

"Does all this have anything to do with the accident?" She asked me.

"Yes." I replied. I couldn't lie about this. I explained to her about his fits. She was practically crying when I finished talking .

"Oh! The poor dear!" She said. Quite over sensitive. Strange how all school nurses behave like this.

"You can go back to class. I'll send this young fellow back home." She said.

"It's okay. I'll take him back." I said. She was doubtful at first, but then let me take him home.

Sally sent him straight to bed as soon as we arrived. No questions asked. Almost like she was expecting this. I felt really bad for her.

"What was it about this time?" She asked me after we settled down in the living room.

"Blond hair." I told her. Her eyes went wide with shock.

"Blond hair? But that's crazy. This place is packed with blondes. He can't have fits every time he sees one. He'll lose his mind. Moving to Brooklyn is useless then. I simply don't know what do. I can't see my son like this." She started crying. I tried to console her. But even I knew she was right. Moving to Brooklyn was hopeless. The only good thing was that there were no monsters here.

Sally and Paul had bought a three room flat, one for them, one for me and one for Percy. I told them I would manage on my own. But they wouldn't listen. I really think it's sweet of them. They make me feel like family.

I lay back in my bed and closed my eyes. Sometimes I really wished I could go back in time. I could save Bianca and Annabeth. If only. If only. As I lay there thinking of the impossible, a voice jarred me back to reality.

"Nico, are you awake?" It was Hazel.

"Yeah. I'm awake." I sat up.

"How was the first day at school?" She asked me. I sighed.

"Bad." I replied. I told her all that happened today.

"This is worse than I thought. I mean, blond hair? If Percy starts remembering every little detail of Annabeth...it's not good." She said. I knew that. I knew it wasn't good. But I also knew we were helpless.

"Nico, I was just going going through some old papers...and I found one about Annabeth. They even caught the picture of the broken helicopter we'd planted. I have no idea how they got that." She said.

We had planted evidence in a forest so that people don't question our story. We made Jason fly a helicopter to the middle of a forest and made jump of it, making it crash. We said that after it crashed, Percy survived but Annabeth died.

The story was that Percy had lost consciousness after the crash, but after he was back to his senses, he got help from some people passing through. Hermes and Apollo played the role of the people passing through. They said it was the least they could do for their hero. It was very kind of them, I must admit.

"Yes Hazel. I know about the news." I told her. She was about to say something when I heard someone call her. Probably Frank.

"I have to go. Take care of yourself. And Percy." With that, she cut through the connection.


	8. I make sense

Sadie pov

I could not concentrate in classes all day. First at school, and then at the Brooklyn house. I was teaching the initiates the power and importance of the Ma'at spell, but my mind was still focused on Percy.

His eyes full of pain, his troubled face and his screams. Those horrifying screams which I kept on hearing over and over in my head. His face circulated around my eyes. I could not think of anything else at all.

Finally Carter took over the classes and I got my break. I sat on the terrace, repeating today's events in my head. I was so lost in though that I didn't notice Carter sit down next to me.

"Hi." He said, making me jump.

"Thinking about Percy, aren't you?" He asked. Ugh. Carter knew me too well.

"It must be so hard for him. To find his perfect love and then lose her to the hands of fate." I said.

"Yeah. I can't imagine what I would do if the same happened to Zia." Carter shuddered at the thought.

"His cousin was a little creepy though." I said.

"Yeah well, you shouldn't judge by looks. He seemed fine to me." Carter said.

"Percy seemed fine too." I said a little dreamily.

"Sadie!" Carter scolded me.

"What? Just saying." I said, trying to act innocent and failing.

"You like him, don't you?" Carter asked.

"No! I mean yes...I mean who wouldn't like him? He seems like a nice guy." I said.

"Sadie, you barely know him." Carter argued.

"Anyone who is so loyal to his girlfriend is fine by me." I said.

"Can't argue there." Carter shrugged. But he was still eyeing me suspiciously. Oh bother!

"Any idea how he knew Drew?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"Well, she can be a far related cousin or something. They are definitely not friends." Carter said.

"Wow. Percy must have weird cousins. First goth kid, then extremely dumb blonde..." I started.

"Blonde." Carter cut me off.

"What?" I asked.

"Sadie, Drew is blonde." Carter said.

"Of course she is, Captain Obvious." I said.

"Don't you see? Percy had a fit when we talked about blond hair. But he didn't get a fit when he saw Drew." Carter said. Hmmm. I thought about this.

"Maybe because when we talked about it, Percy started to imagine Annabeth. But on the other hand, Drew must not remind him of Annabeth, so he didn't have any fits. I mean, obviously he wasn't quite fond of her, so he couldn't relate her to his girlfriend. But when we talk about somethinglike blond hair, he must have related it to Annabeth because she must be the first thing to enter his mind when we talk about it. Am I making any sense?" I said.

Carter stared at me. "Carter, why are you staring like that?" I asked.

"Sadie, I can't believe it! For once you actually made sense!" Carter said, feigning surprise.

I blinked and he broke out laughing. I punched him in the stomach.

"Ow!" Carter said.

"Seriously, brother dear." I shook my head.

"No, I mean it. That made total sense. Now that you know you have a brain, you should use it more often." Carter chuckled at his own joke. I rolled my eyes.

"I wonder what she was like. Annabeth I mean. High school relationships don't last that long, but they seem like a strong couple." I said sadly.

"Remember what Taco...I mean Nico said? They would take a knife for each other. It's just so sad that they had to be separated like this. Forever." Carter sighed. I stared at him. He never got all cheesy like this. Carter noticed me staring.

"What? I find it sad, okay." He said. I grinned. I knew his secret name. I knew every embarrassing secret he had. And now I had one more to add to the list.

"I think we should make friends with him. He'll get lonely with only his cousin for company." I said. Carter nodded. Then I remembered something.

"Hey, did you accidentally call Nico Taco?" I asked him. Carter grinned sheepishly.

"It sounds a bit like that." He said.

Then Carter went off to teach, leaving me with my thoughts. Ok. I thought to myself.

Let's make a friend.

**please reveiw. Sorry about the short chapter, but I'm very busy. I'll try and update sooner. Again, please reveiw.**


	9. Weirdest day ever

Nobody's pov

Percy drove like he'd never driven before. He knew Sally would have a heart attack if she saw the speed he was moving in. But he wanted to get out of there fast. He felt suffocated.

He drove to a forest outside Brookyn. There he parked his car and ran into the forest. He had no idea what he was doing, but it felt good to get away from it all. He ran until he was in the very dept. of the forest. Then he sat down on a tree stump and pug his head in his hands.

He cried. He let go of the tears he'd been keeping inside for so long. He felt if he didn't let go now, he would explode.

"You let me go. I went to Tartarus with you and you let me go. How could you Annabeth? How could you?" He yelled. Then he started crying again.

"Heroes don't cry Perseus." A voice behind said. Even though Percy was surprised by the arrival of the voice's owner, he didn't even steal her a glance.

"How can you call me a hero?" He asked.

" I think it's wisest to call someone who is heroic a hero. Don't you agree?" Athena asked.

"Wise? Of course, the goddess of wisdom would talk about wise." Percy said. Athena smiled.

"You didn't bow." She said. Percy instantly jumped to his feet, then bowed.

"My apologies. I forgot." He said.

"You didn't let me finish Perseus. You didn't bow, but you really don't have to. You deserve more respect than us." She said. Percy blinked in surprise.

"You know who you're talking to, right?" Percy asked in an unsure tone.

"Why of course. I'm talking to the greatest hero ever to serve Olympus." Athena said.

"I'm confused. Did you hurt your head or did I?" Percy said. He knew this rudeness would probably get him vaporized, but he didn't care anymore.

Athena sighed. "I know I've been hard on you Perseus. My rivalry with your dad made me disapprove of you. But you have proved that you are not like your father, and you deserve a lot more than what you have." Athena said.

"O great. Now you approve of me? When I don't care if you do? When Annabeth...Annabeth isn't ...any..more?" Percy's voice cracked at the last sentence. Tears streamed down his face without his permission.

Then Athena did something that really made Percy wonder if he was dreaming. That would've made Apollo give her brain a check-up. That would make Poseidon make fun of her for the rest of eternity. She hugged Percy.

At first, Percy's body stiffened like a cane. But Athena's hug was so motherly, he gave in and hugged her back.

"Don't give up, Perseus. This world needs a hero." She whispered in his year, before pulling away.

"Promise me you'll pull yourself together. At least promise me you'll try." Athena said. Percy cracked a small smile.

"Okay. If you promise to call me Percy." Percy said. Athena smiled.

"Why of course, Percy." She said.

Then Percy averted his eyes, and Athena was gone in a flash. Percy didn't understand why, but that short meeting with Athena seemed to reduce the pain a bit. Probably because he was glad that Athena had gone out of her way to forgive him. He had always blamed himself for Annabeth's death. Now his guilt was reduced a bit.

He started to walk out of the forest, when he sensed the presence of someone in the canopy of the trees. Percy slowly tip-toed his way to the place where he sensed the presence while slowly uncapping Riptide. He swirled around the canopy and pointed the sword to the throat of the intruder.

"Woah, Peter Johnson. That's my neck." Mr. D said. Percy's eyes widened instantly.

He lowered riptide and uncapped it.

"Mr. D! Sorry, I didn't see you there."Percy asked.

"You know, I could turn you into a dolphin for that. But I won't, because then my coming here would be wasted." Mr. D said.

Ah, same old same old. Percy thought internally.

"So...why did you come here?" Percy asked.

"Impatient as ever, aren't you Pedro? No come in, no have a seat." Mr. D said.

"Mr. D, we're in the middle of a forest." Percy pointed out politely.

"Oh, of course. I know that. But you could still have been polite hero." Mr. D said.

You're one to talk, Percy thought. But he didn't say it out loud.

"The reason as to why I'm here, I wanted to talk to you." Mr. D said.

"About a quest?" Percy asked.

"Typical. You think the only reason gods talk to you is because of quests? No, don't answer that." He said, when he saw Percy open his mouth to answer. He knew very well that the answer would be yes.

"Look, remember the conversation we had on Chrysler building?" Mr. Do asked.

"You mean, when you wrapped me up with the wines and lectured me about how heroes are selfish and then let me go telling me that you hoped I would die on the quest?"

"Um... Yeah. That conversation." Mr. D said, surprised he remembered so much.

"What about it?" Percy put his hands in his pockets as he spoke.

"Well, I just wanted you to know that I changed my opinion." Mr. D said.

"About heroes?" Percy asked in an unsure tone. Dionysius nodded. Percy gulped.

"And your opinion has changed to what?" He practically squeaked out.

"That I was wrong. They aren't selfish." Dionysius replied.

"What made you come to that conclusion?" Percy asked, shocked.

"Because I have seen proof that they aren't selfish. At least, one isn't. I've seen this hero face Hades for his loved ones, I've seen him take the sky willingly to save a goddess, I've seen this hero protect his loved ones during the war. What's more, I've seem give up immortality for the betterment of other demigods, and I've seen him fall into Tartarus to save the one he loves. I don't think you could get more selfless that that." Mr. D concluded.

Percy suddenly took an interest in his shoelaces. He knew Mr. D was talking about him, but he didn't know why. Why would he say all this to Percy? Didn't he care about his reputation being ruined for being nice to a demigod and stuff? Then why?

"Mr. D, I'm happy about what you said. But I don't deserve this. Not now, when I've failed." Percy said.

"You sure your fatal flaw is personal loyalty? Sometimes I think it's self criticism." Mr. D said. Percy just stared at him.

"Poseidon was right. You don't know how to take a compliment. Percy, you are a true hero, wether you like it or not." Mr. D said sternly.

"You said Percy." Percy was getting more and more shocked.

"Oh great. I shouldn't have called you that. Now you didn't pay attention to anything else I said. Anyway, I better be going. Remember what I said, Jackson." With that he flashed away, and Percy closed his eyes just in time.

After he was gone, Percy pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Nope, not a dream. Then how was it possible that two gods who hated him the most had come to tell him that he was a true hero?

He drove back home and ran up to his room. He decided to lie down a bit since his mind was still not ready to believe what happened. When he reached his bed, he saw a small package on it.

He opened it and saw a locket of a wolf. With it was a note.

Hey Percy,

This is a gift from Artemis. It will help you with your archery problem. Sorry I couldn't stay for long. I am a little busy.

Love, Thalia.

Percy read the note over and over. A gift from Artemis? Wow, what had happened to the gods? Percy put the locket around his neck, turned the lights out and went to sleep with only one thought : weirdest day ever.


	10. Smile

**sorry for the short and boring chapter. I'm trying my best.**

Nobody's pov

Percy woke up the next morning with a **question.** Did all that really happen last night? He checked for the locket, and saw it hanging round his neck along with his CHB necklace. Artemis really had given him a gift. He didn't know what Thalia meant by archery problem

Wow. Athena had forgiven him then. And so had Dionysus. Percy had never seen Mr. D talk so nicely to anyone. Not even his sons. If not completely, then at least the gods were trying to change a little. Even though Percy's chest still felt like it had been stabbed countless times, he couldn't help but grin at that. Just then Nico came in. When he saw Percy grinning, he blinked like he couldn't believe his eyes.

"Percy, are you okay?" Nico asked. Percy looked at Nico, and the hopeful glint in his eyes when he saw Percy grin, and he felt a stab of guilt. He never thought how hard it must be for Nico and the others to be around a zombie like himself.

Right then he decided that he'd at least smile once in a while, for his friend's sake if not for his own. He knew he could never be happy without his...his Annabeth.

He knew he'd be betraying Annabeth if he smiled or laughed, but he had a duty towards his friends. He remembered how Nico had changed from the hyper mythomagic lover to the ghost king after Bianca's death. Percy had not liked that change.

He didn't want to disappoint his friends like Nico. He would not steal the hope and happiness of others. His grin subsided to a friendly smile.

"I've been worse." He replied. Nico smiled. Percy is getting better, he thought.

"So, ready for school?" He asked him. At the mention of school, Percy's smile vanished, replaced by a dark expression. Oops. Wrong question.

"Let's get it over with." Percy said. He pulled up a jacket over his green t-shirt and they both left for school.

Percy tried to stay inconspicuous as they made their way towards the lockers. He sighed as he saw people pointing at him from his peripheral vision. Just fabulous.

Sadie was standing by the lockers when she saw him. Her breath got stuck in her throat, again. No matter how many times she tried to get used to that face, she couldn't. It troubled her to see him so troubled. She knew he didn't like the attention.

He didn't want people to make a gossip out of his life. Sadie respected that. True love was not for showing off. At least, that was her opinion. She couldn't be sure since she never knew true love.

He opened his locker, which was right next to hers. She wanted to say something to him, but Carter beat her to it.

"Hi, Percy." He greeted Percy. Percy looked up at him.

"Oh, hi Carter." Percy said.

"Glad you remember my name." Carter said.

"You remembered mine, right?" Percy asked.

"Yeah, but it's not like I could forget it. Not after...yesterday." Carter frowned at the last bit.

Percy closed his eyes and exhaled. "Right.' He said, and he looked so worried and stressed that Sadie wanted to slap Carter for bringing that up.

"Relax. Nobody's going to say word about it." She said.

"You can't expect that. Not in high school." Percy said. His eyes were still closed. A small part of Sadie's brain was thinking of how hot he looked when he was worried, but the larger part was thinking of how he would look if he smiled. Sadie made up her mind to find out. She would make him smile.

"How about I make them shut up." Sadie said, cracking her knuckles. Percy half-smiled, which made her heart flutter.

"Thanks. Not just for this, but for helping Nico yesterday too." He said.

"Cmon. Let's get to class." Sadie said. Then Nico went to his class, while Carter and Sadie guided Percy to his.


End file.
